literal dog days of summer

On a recent weekend in Moab, we did some dog sitting for a friend.  He and his family had to go out of town for a funeral and asked us if we could watch their seven month old lab-pit mix named Marshmallow.  Of course!  We love dogs!  I mean, it's been decades since we've had a puppy in the house but we're experienced dog owners.

Same size but Marshmellow is WAY beefier

We three went over to their house the night before so Milton and Marshmallow could reacquaint themselves.  Milton met him for the first time in June (when he was MUCH smaller), and they spent the evening chasing each other around the yard.  We had brought Milton over for a second meeting in July (when he was BIGGER) and Milton was not impressed with the size or the energy.  This time, with Marsh as tall as Milt but brawnier, Milton wasn't having any of it.  Marsh wanted to play so badly and was in Milt's face; Milt issued correction after correction (barks and snaps) and the puppy just didn't get it.  An inauspicious start.

Calm in the car

Friday morning we took care of our exercising: H ended up doing a five mile trail run with M (after suffering a flat tire on his road bike just a block from hom) while A did the 10.3 mile Pipe Dream - Hidden Valley - Moab Rim hike (which was a bit of a suffer-fest as I felt dehydrated and drank nearly all my water - which I almost never do.  

Our friends dropped Marshmallow off around 1 and Milton was again unimpressed.  Our neighbor and her dog were home so we introduced them ... and Marshmallow, who had no chill at all, was sharply corrected several times by Moscow.  That night was a little rough too: although crate-trained, the puppy was nervous and cried/whined the entire night.  We all woke up exhausted and Milton couldn't believe that he was stilll with us.

Cutieeee

But it went MUCH better from there.  I took the dogs to Millcreek (Milton off-leash, Marshmallow on-leash) for four mile hikes both Saturday and Sunday mornings.  They were well-behaved in the car and Marsh loved splashing in the creek.  He did get a little out of control wanting to meet other dogs, but since he was leashed, it was easier to manage.  He never chewed anything and only had one accident on the kitchen floor; he calmed down for the second night; and he was just such a sweetie, with full-body tail wags and exuberant snuggles.

BOOP!

When his family picked him up in the early afternoon Sunday, the house seemed bigger and it was very, very quiet.  All three of us (Milton especially) were exhausted - puppies are a LOT!  Sweet, but a lot.

twenty-five (years, not miles)

On August 25, we celebrated our twenty-fifth (!)(!!)(!!!) wedding anniverary.  Amazingly, we have been out in Utah for most of our marriage, despite having met, originally lived, and married in Maine.  To celebrate the occasion, we took the day off.

This hawk was entirely unimpressed with us

First order of business was a family hike.  In Millcreek Canyon, the odd-numbered days are the off-leash dog days, so that synced up perfectly.  We didn't want to go anything too long and settled on the Desolation Trail to the Salt Lake overlook.  The last - and first, and only - time we've done this trail was back in July 2011.  After doing it again now, we are kicking ourselves for having left it for so long.  It's a great trail!  About five miles round trip, mostly shaded with mostly packed dirt underfoot, it rises steadily (about 1,200 elevation gain) but never steeply.  

Thirsty work

The fact that we were there early on a random Tuesday morning certainly helped - I suspect this trail is very, very busy on the weekends.  We encountered fewer than five people on our way up; while there were definitely more people heading in as we headed out, it wasn't ever what I'd call busy.

At the overlook

There are lots of picnic tables at the trailhead (also a four-stall outhouse), so we got out our cooler and sat in the shade, having celebratory post-hike beers and recounting some of the last twenty-five years.  We did some more recounting back at home, dragging out the photographs from our wedding (everyone was so young in 2001!).

Holy moly

And then because I decided I didn't want to cook on our anniversary, we three went to the Watershed, the local scruffy dive bar with a big vegan menu and a big dog-friendly patio.  Their misters were going full-blast; the waitresses and the bouncer fawned over Milton; and we enjoyed our vegan buffalo wings and vegan bacon (vegan) cheese (vegan) burger with great relish.  

Smooch!

Here's to the next twenty-five!

middle (august) management

On a recent, mid-August long weekend in Moab, it was still hot. (It would have been just as hot if we had stayed in SLC for that weekend, dang lingering high pressure/heat advisory.)  But you expect it in Moab: same elevation as SLC but further south.  So we did what we've been doing all summer* which is: getting up before the sun, getting on the trail at sunrise and getting our exercise done well before noon.  On the one hand, you're all WOOHOO I got all my exercise done before noon!  On the other hand, you're like OMG now what do I do, I can't crack a beer yet lol.

We drove down mid-afternoon Thursday so we could take Friday off.  Friday found all three of us on the Pipedream trail: H and M doing a five mile trail run and A doing a seven mile hike.  The fellas left first and we crossed paths as they were heading back.  It was pretty quiet out there.  Then, H did a solo 26-mile road ride on the bike path.  Then there was lunch, reading, catching up with neighbor A and, eventually, beer.

Prickly

Saturday was much like Friday, only not quite.  While H did a six+ mile Pipedream trail run, A and M instead drove to Millcreek for a four mile hike and creek splash.  We saw a trail buddy who gave us a heads-up about fairly recent bear scat in the canyon (bears have been venturing down into Moab from the LaSal mountains since the heat is impacting the vegetation they usually eat this time of year), and Milton got a bunch of dog cookies from a lady at the trail head.  After that, both H (25) and A (21) did a road ride on the bike path.  Then there was lunch, reading and, eventually, beer.

Finally, Sunday found Milton taking a rest day (after an extended neighborhood stroll) and H and A back on their road bikes.  H did 20 miles but A only managed ten, after getting a flat in the same place as her last flat, just south of the Arches NP entrance.  That's only a two-ish mile walk back to Lions Park, though, so I hike-a-biked there (three different cyclists stopped to see if I needed help) while H hied it back to the house to get the truck and the dog and come pick me up.

That was pretty much it.  We got back to the house, cleaned it and ourselves up, stopped in Green River for a delicious Krenshaw melon and were back in Sandy mid-afternoon.

* Seems like forever, really.  This has been such a hot summer - we can't wait to be cold again.  Remind me that I said that when I'm bitching about how cold January is.

pie and beer weekend

Here in Utah, July 24th is Pioneer Day, the state holiday celebrating the Mormon pioneers' arrival in 1847.  For the non-Mormons among us, it is known as Pie and Beer Day and is a welcome day off from work.  Since it fell on Friday this year, we of course loaded up the car with t-shirts and the dog and went off down to Moab.  "In July?" you say, "isn't Moab stupid-hot in July?"  Well, yes, it did hit 106F but in all honesty, it really wasn't that much cooler in SLC, thanks to the heat dome parked over the west.

Morning light against the cliffs

The heat just means you have to get up and get going early, if you're of a mind to do things outdoors.  On Friday, while H did a five mile trail run, A and Milton drove to Millcreek Canyon for a four mile hike.  The creek is still flowing, but not a lot.  We made sure to be out the door by 6 a.m., getting to the trailhead before the sun had come up over the La Sals.  This time of year, if you go early enough, this hike keeps you out of the sun until the last quarter mile or so, so it's a good one with dogs.  After the trail time, H and A got on their road bikes for a 21 mile ride along the river/up to Arches NP/back along the river.  It was a bit too late in the morning for A, however, who struggled with the growing heat.

Total goober

So on Saturday, H did a six mile trail run, and then did a solo road ride (20 miles), while A and M returned to Millcreek for a 5.8 mile hike.  This time we went up the canyon a little further, crossing over to the other side (and flailing somewhat through the prickly plant matter) for the walk back down canyon.  We paused to chat with another hiker and throw a ball for his rescue dog (Milton watched, completely baffled as to why anyone would want to chase and retrieve a ball), and then chatted briefly with our neighbor A and her dog.  She was getting an admittedly late start and decided to bail out on Millcreek and instead drive up into the mountains for a hike to Clark Lake.

Art shot!

Sunday qualified as a partial rest day in that none of us went out on foot (other than an on-leash neighborhood walk for Milton).  But H and A got on their road bikes and did another 20 miles on the bike path.  Since we hadn't gone hiking/running first, we were able to start before 7, which definitely helped with the heat.  A was faster than she'd been on Friday (but by no means fast).

Goober in motion

Other weekend activities included reading, crossword puzzles and drinking beers with friends.

hiking and riding

After A got back from her back-east/family trip, during which H and Milton got to spend ten days in Moab (not all fun and games: H had to work during the week), we all had four days at home in SLC before heading right back to Moab for the long holiday weekend.  As is evident in this blog, we go to Moab for all the long weekends, if we can, and tend to try to stretch them out by a day or two as well.  This time we went down Thursday afternoon and came back Monday afternoon.

All these teeny lizard tracks in the sand

It got hot (but not as hot as it's gonna get) down there, with temperatures increasing through the weekend.  So we made sure to get up and get going early, so that Milton could accompany us on all the Milton-accessible activities.  And when it got hot in the afternoons, we left him snoozing in his crate at home while we went to a bar to watch the World Cup group stage games.

Dunno what this one is

On Friday, while H did a two mile trail run, A and M went to Millcreek Canyon.  We got there a little after 6 a.m., just as the sun was coming up, and were the second vehicle in the parking lot.  We did our usual four mile loop - out along the rim trail, then dropping down into the canyon just above the cowboy hot tubs, then walking out along the creek.  The water is low but still flowing.  We didn't see anyone until we got below the creek juncture, and even then it was just a handful of folks.  

This one's a paintbrush

Tourism is down this time of year: people who live in Utah and Colorado know that it's just too hot for activities, so it's mostly Europeans or folks from back east who don't know any better/are locked into summer travel because of schedules.  We have friends in the hospitality industry and I know they worry during the slow season.  But gosh, for those of us who don't like crowded trailheads, this is nice, despite the early morning starts.

This one's a goofball

After the trail time, and before it heated up too much, H and A did a 21 mile road ride, along the river / up past Arches NP, back along the river.  There were very few people on the bike path but there were quite a few noseeums - ick!

snooze

 This isn't a real post.  This is just Milton, reminding you to get enough sleep and stay hydrated.

Supervising the neighborhood is exhausting

Hopefully some real posts coming soon!

memorial day weekend

 How the heck is it June already?  How are we halfway through the year and well on our way to the longest day of that year?  There's a saying that the days are long but the years are short and wow, is that the truth.

It's starting to get warm, even first thing in the morning

Surprising absolutely no one whatsoever, we three went to Moab for the recent Memorial Day long weekend.  We took a bit of a risk, deciding to go down Friday afternoon (chancing traffic heading south) but then returning Tuesday afternoon (avoiding the horrific holiday Monday traffic heading north).  Although there is a fair amount of road construction happening along Route 6 in Spanish Fork Canyon, the drive down Friday afternoon was no problem at all.  Whew!

Skies for days

The good thing about being in Moab for a long holiday weekend is that you're in Moab for a long holiday weekend; the bad thing is everyone else.  Keeping this in mind, we didn't stray too far afield, even going so far as to avoid Millcreek Canyon which usually gets hammered by visitors over this weekend.  Indeed, when we drove down from Sandflats on Saturday, we could see the Millcreek Canyon overflow parking extending to the new housing development out along the road.  Yikes.

New neighbor (about 12 inches long)

So we did these things: 

• Saturday: H and M did a Pipe Dream trailrun; then A and M did a Pipe Dream hike; then H and A did a road ride (25 miles for H and 23 for A); then we three had lunch up at the Slickrock trailhead, where M got peanut butter pretzels from a MTBer; then we went to Woody's; then we caught up with our neighbor.
• Sunday: H and M trail run; A and M hike; H and A road ride (H 25; A 21); then we met our friend C at Woody's where there was an intense discussion about how to rid one's home of invading raccoons; then A and M did a neighborhood walk to check out the vulture tree; and we learned we have a cute little gopher snake (bull snake?) in the irises in our neighbor's front yard.
• Monday: A and M did a neighborhood walk; H and A did a road ride (H 25; A 23); and in the afternoon we three went to the Spitfire dog-friendly patio where we were THRILLED to learn that our favorite bartender is back in town - it's been like a year since we've seen her.
• Tuesday: H and M trail run; H and A road ride (H 25; A 21) and it was very windy.

Then we drove home in the early afternoon and were sad that the holiday weekend was over.  But glad that we'd had a good time of it. 

Day drinking is exhausting

spring break (back half)

 Wednesday:  Some weather actually moved in and it was cold and rainy in the morning.  Still, H and Milton did their short trail run, managing to get back before it really started raining, although they did get caught in it coming back from Dave's.  When it had dried up. A and M went out for a six-miler on Pipe Dream, while H did a solo road ride.  50s is too cold for me for biking but just fine for hiking.  After an chill afternoon of reading, A and H walked over to our friends C and F's house for some yard beers and good conversation.  The fact that they are dealing with an infestation of attic raccoons made for a lively discussion.

Desert days

Thursday: After H and M did another short trail run, A and M headed over to Millcreek for a hike that was not along Pipe Dream.  We were the first ones in the parking lot but there were several vehicles there by the time we got back.  There is water in the creek but, due to the record-low snow levels, it is way under where it should be this time of year.  Still, Milton enjoyed himself quite a lot, splashing and wading in the creek.  From there, H and A did their road ride - it was a gorgeous day and NO wind.  We took Milton out for patio beers at the Spitfire in the afternoon and he scored a piece of bacon from another customer who had been saving it for her own dog, but who just couldn't resist giving it to ours.  That evening, we made sheet pan gnocchi and roasted veggies and took it over to our neighbor for dinner together.

Prickly pear (or just prickly?)

Friday:  The weather had been quite nice all week, rainy Wednesday notwithstanding, but now it was starting to get quite a bit warmer, pushing up into the middle 80s.  H and Milton did a trail run on Pipe Dream; then A and Milton did a hike on Pipe Dream; then H and A did their road ride.  We did go out to Woody's for a quick beer, but swung by the first Arts & Ag market of the summer over at shady Swanny Park.  

Serious thorns

Saturday:  By Saturday, Milton was definitely showing some cumulative fatigue.  Still, he did a short trail run with H and a town walk with A.  He didn't even complain that much when H and A set out for their road ride.  The afternoon was spent weeding, changing smoke detector batteries, and one last beer at Woody's - where another patron left $20 in the jukebox for us to play.  

In his happy place, on a trail

Sunday:  And then it was done.  We did a shorter (16 mile) road ride, moped around, cleaned the house, moped around, packed the truck, moped around, and drove back to SLC.  Vacation over.

Now that's a view

spring break (front half)

As I mentioned, we didn't go too hard during this year's spring week in Moab, and we didn't do anything new.  We did exercise at least once each day, though; and we did not go to the bar every day.  #adulting

I just love that sky so much

Saturday:  We drove down Friday afternoon and spent the evening with our neighbor and her dog.  She is often gone to Alaska by now but this year will be in Moab for the summer.  She may not be all that psyched about it but we are.  On Saturday, H did a trail run on Pipe Dream.  When he got back, A and Milton did a 4.6 mile hike, also on Pipe Dream.  (Sure appreciate a trailhead walking distance from the house).  After that, H and A did a road ride on the bike path, from our house to Lions Park, up/back along the river, up/back to the Arches National Park entrance (plus H went up further and caught up to A on the home stretch), then up/back on the river section, then home.  That afternoon, we watched the Kentucky Derby at Woody's (the bartender said she knew we'd be in since the race was one) and my horse freaked out whilst loading and didn't even run.  And that evening, our neighbor and her dog joined us for beers around the firepit.

Trail dog

Sunday:  H and Milton did a Pipe Dream trail run and then, while they went to Dave's for coffee/dog biscuit, A headed out for her long hike of the week.  I walked from our house to Pipe Dream, south on Pipe Dream to Hidden Valley, up and over Hidden Valley, and then down the Moab Rim trail.  It was a gorgeous day - definitely cooler than the last time I'd done that hike, which is 10.3 miles.  H and M met me in the Moab Rim parking lot, bringing snacks and beers.  I will confess to an afternoon nap, but I rallied and was up late enough for a firepit.

Lil teeny purple flower

Monday:  H was back to a solo trail run Monday, and A and Milton did a 4.5 mile hike on Pipe Dream.  A still had some fatigue from her big hike the day before, however, so H did a solo road ride.  When he got back, we all packed up lunch things and binoculars and beers and went to our favorite picnic spot above the bike path along the Colorado River.  After getting cleaned up back at the house, H and A strolled to Woody's for a quick visit, then returned for backyard beers with our neighbor.

Heading to the Moab Rim trail

Tuesday:  By Tuesday, Milton (who we think is around ten years old at this point) was showing a little bit of cumulative fatigue.  He did a shorter trail run with H, but A opted for walking across town and back for errands rather than doing a hike so he could rest.  A and H did their road ride and then it was time for another picnic, this time up at the Slickrock trailhead parking lot.  It is our opinion that Tuesdays are the least-busy of the weekdays and true to form, things were pretty quiet up there, relatively speaking.  We even spent a fair amount of time watching a bunch of ants carry a peanut from the covered picnic table to their nest.  (There were also MTBers and dirt bikers to watch and side-by-sides to bitch about.)  The afternoon and evening were spent at home, reading.

in-betweens

 Snowbird is still open for a couple more weekends, and Brighton is hanging in there too, but for us (H), skiing is over.  There's still enough snow to keep us out of the mountains hiking-wise, however, so we're stuck in the valley, walking and running and road riding; the Round Valley MTB trails in Park City are dry and smooth too, so I hear.

Chilly boy

As has been tradition for the last several years, H and I sit on the tailgate of the truck in our driveway on Alta's closing day, drinking beers and gazing at the mountains.  This latest closing day, even though H didn't ski, and even though it was low 50s/high 40s and pouring rain, I insisted that we continue the tradition.  We bundled up - including putting Milton in his sweater - and proceeded to toast the subpar season, with an eye towards better days.

Maybe we'll do a couple this year

We also came up with a potential hike list for any spring/summer/fall weekend days we're up in SLC.  We've done this for a few years now too (we've got a bucket of poker chips with hikes written on them and take turns pulling them), and the funny part is that we just hardly get around to doing any of them.  We don't hike as much in the Wasatch since we've gotten Milton (no dogs in the watershed) and this year will be even worse, as upper Millcreek Canyon is closed for road widening.  Still, we listed 35 (!!) potential hikes.  Maybe we'll even do some, once the trails dry up.  Shouldn't take long.

this hike is why we drove the subaru to moab this time

Neither of our cars are young: my Crosstrek will be ten years old in August and H's Chevy Silverado is downright elderly.  To save wear and tear, we alternate which vehicle we drive from SLC to Moab when we go, although the truck always gets the spring and fall vacation trips.  This last time, we drove the Subaru, even though it was technically the truck's turn (H had taken the Subaru in March when I was back east with family).  The reason: I wanted to do a specific slot canyon/creek hike [not named here because while it used to be a "hidden gem," due to Instagram it is no longer in any way "hidden"].  

Iconic landscape

Moab doesn't have many slot canyons but it does have this one.  It usually has water year round - the end of the out-and-back hike is a waterfall - as the creek flows out of the La Sal mountains.  In the past, we've gone later in the year, since the water is good for dog hikes; this year, given the all-time low snowpack, I'm not sure the creek will actually be year-round and wanted to get Milton out there while there was still water.

So frickin' scenic

The dirt road in to this hike is long and washboarded and rough.  When we have taken the elderly truck down it, I cling to the passenger side door, hoping to keep it from rattling off the frame.  This time, when Milton and I loaded up to go (H wasn't interested in an 8.5 mile round trip with very rocky footing), we promised to drive slowly and carefully on that dirt road.

You will get your feet wet. At 

least while the creek is still flowing.

We didn't get as early a start as we had intended but even with it being Saturday, there were only four other vehicles in the trailhead lot when we pulled in.  It was cool and clear and we made good time, passing two sets of hikers on the way in and catching a third at the waterfall.  (The fourth must have been on another trail since we never saw them).  

Getting narrow

As we were heading to the waterfall, I noted a couple of side canyons that we've never checked out.  I'm sure they don't go far but told the dog that we should investigate on our way out.  However, about a mile into our return, the temperature dropped, it got windy and started raining.  I wasn't nervous about the rain since this "slot" canyon is pretty wide (we were out of the narrowest part) but I was nervous about the dirt road getting sloppy and slippery.

Mr. I'm-nervous-about-the-loud-waterfall

We cruised on out of there, stopping briefly, of course, to chat with other hikers and their dogs who were still heading in, undeterred by the rain, but not checking out those side canyons.  It never really rained hard but it was enough to get us wet and chilled.  The little Crosstrek?  She did great and, over a week later, is still sporting the red dust and mud from that darn dirt road.

four miles, full of flowers

In the year with no winter, spring flowers are emerging in the desert.  We were in Moab a couple of weekends ago and while H held down the fort (by which I mean, was home when the plumbers arrived to remove old/install new hot water heater), Milton and I went to Millcreek.  After a "winter" of Pipe Dream hiking, it was nice to have a change of scenery.  We didn't get a particularly early start, so there were already four or so car in the lot when we drove up.

M stops to smell the flowers

Blanket flower

We did our preferred route: out along the Rim trail, then dropping down into the canyon and returning along the creek trail.  There were a handful of other folks with their dogs up on the rim but it really was pretty quiet.

Love this guy so much

I was gonna look this one up.  But didn't.

Also quiet: the creek.  There is very little snow in the La Sal mountains and the creek is very low.  Like, June/July low.  This time of year the water should have been up above my knees on the creek crossings but instead I was able to keep my feet dry for the whole hike.  Wish it had been otherwise.

Globe mallow

Primrose

There were definitely people heading in towards the waterfall (such as it is) as we finished up, which on a Friday heralds the busy season.  

Claret cup (a favorite)

Prince's plume (which miners

thought indicated uranium)

EDITED TO ADD: After the hike, H and A did A's first road ride of the season.  The temperatures were nice but it was a little windy, and A got saddle-sore with it being her first ride.  We were on the bike path from our house, out and back along the river and then up to the Arches National Park entrance.  From there, A headed home, while H did the river road out and back again first.  It was windy - and a headwind always psychs A out - so A got home mere minutes before H did, despite his markedly longer ride.

mind the gap

 Oops - certainly didn't mean for such a long break between posts.  We went down to Moab last weekend for a friend's mother's funeral, and then I had to work long hours to make up the time (without burning a precious vacation day), so things just got away from me here.

On the trail again

It was a little surreal, being in Moab and having to do grown-up things, like wear real clothes and be places at certain times.  The funeral was at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Moab Community Church (which amazingly didn't immediately catch fire when H and I entered), then a luncheon, and then the graveside service out in Castle Valley.  The funeral was nice, actually, very personal with folks telling stories about the decedent, plus lots of songs.  And we hadn't thought to bring beer to the graveside service, but a number of folks did, so there's that.

"Whazzat?" Milton, probably

That afternoon, we hung out with our neighbor and her dog, drinking beers and getting caught up.  That was really good too and we hadn't had the chance for a while: she is a commercial fisherman who spends her late springs/summers/early falls on her boat in Alaska.

Keep 'er movin'

We did manage a little bit of trail time, much to Milton's delight, putting together a 7+ miler on Pipe Dream.  Despite the snow earlier in the week, the trail was in good shape - mostly dry and not muddy.  It wasn't heavily trafficked either, although we did meet a couple of nice dogs out with their people.

Here come the spring flowers!

And finally, to wrap up the adulting, our hot water heater/tank needs to be replaced as it has no expansion tank (?) and is leaking directly onto the pilot light.  There were lukewarm showers all weekend, which wouldn't have been a problem if it was already summer.  It was a decent weekend but all things considered, I think I prefer not to have to adult so much.